DU STUDENT’S DEATH

Central Hospital director arrested, released on bail

Central Hospital director MA Quasem was released on bail on Friday a few hours after his arrest in a case for the death of a first year zoology student of Dhaka University at the private clinic at Dhanmondi in Dhaka on Thursday.Dhaka metropolitan magistrate Abdullah Al Masud granted bail to Quasem after Dhanmondi police produced him before the court.Quasem’s lawyer Nazibullah Hiru moved the bail petition.Dhanmondi police station inspector (investigation) Helal Uddin told New Age that they arrested Quasem at about 3:00am on Friday, a few hours after Dhaka University authority filed the case against nine doctors and officials of the hospital – physicians ABM Abdullah, Masuma Parvin, Mortuza, Jahanara Begum Mona, Maksud Parvin, and Tapan Kumar Bairagi, director MA Quasem and officials ASM Matlubur Rahman and Kashem Yusuf.Acting Dhaka University proctor AM Amjad Ali lodged the case with the police station Thursday night after the hospital was vandalised by some agitated students after following the death of their fellow, Afia Akhter, 20. Afia was admitted to the hospital on May 17 and died on Thursday.Victim’s sister Niharika Afroz and fellow students said Afia was admitted to the hospital with fever she had been suffering for the past few days but doctors diagnosed her as suffering from blood cancer and gave treatment for blood cancer.After Afia’s death, doctors said that she had been suffering from dengue and the two different remarks created suspicion among students, they alleged.A prescription issued from the hospital also showed that Afia had ‘acute myeloblastic leukaemia.’Denying the allegation, Central Hospital assistant director Atiya Begum said that Afia had admitted to the hospital with Dengue fever but they suspected that she had also been suffering from Leukaemia.‘So,’ she said, ‘the doctors advised her for some tests and did not begin any cancer treatment.’She said that Afia was transferred to Intensive Care Unit early Thursday as her situations deteriorated. Atiya also claimed that Afia hid some sensitive information cuasing ‘confusion’ about the actual problem.Afia hailed from Chapainawabganj and was admitted at zoology department of Dhaka University and used to reside at a female students’ dormitory at Azimpur.